Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run homer for Chicago, which has scored a total of eight runs in its last four games but won two of those games. Seiya Suzuki contributed a pair of singles.
Left-hander Brant Hurter (1-1) followed opener Beau Brieske and allowed two runs over 3 2/3 innings for his first career victory. Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton and Joey Wentz combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings to close the game.
The Tigers took a 4-0 lead in the second inning against Jameson Taillon (8-8). Sweeney began the scoring with his first career homer, a 414-foot blast that barely cleared the center field wall.
After Meadows doubled with two outs, Greene hit a two-run shot to right-center field for his 18th homer this season and first since July 5.
Taillon retired nine straight batters before the Tigers put runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth inning. Detroit escaped unscathed after Taillon fanned Spencer Torkelson.
Taillon yielded four runs on six hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out five while throwing 96 pitches.
Bethancourt put the Cubs on the board with two outs in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer against Hurter. The 383-foot shot was Bethancourt’s fourth homer this season.
Chicago threatened with two runners on and one out in the seventh inning. Holton replaced Hanifee and escaped the jam when Ian Happ struck out and Patrick Wisdom flied out.
The Tigers extended their lead with four runs in the ninth inning against Jack Neely, who made his major league debut. Detroit put runners on the corners with two outs before Zach McKinstry scored on Greene’s single.
Carpenter followed with a three-run blast to left-center field for his 12th homer this season.
This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.
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An illustrious and entertaining baseball career came to an end this week when former Cincinnati Reds star and 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto officially announced his retirement. The 40-year-old first baseman signed a minor league contract with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays this offseason after 17 years as a Red, but battled injuries this year and never made an appearance with Toronto.
Votto is beloved in Cincinnati not just because of his 2,135 hits and 356 home runs, but for his goofy personality off of the field as well. When his contract ran out after the 2023 season, Votto left Cincinnati as the franchise leader in walks (1,365), second in HR’s and third in RBI’s (1,144). Which brings us to today’s quiz. Votto ends his career with six All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove to go along with his MVP award. With that being said, can you name the last player from each MLB team to win MVP? Remember, the Diamondbacks, Mets and Rays don’t have a player to win the award. Good luck!
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been exceptionally fortunate to have TJ Watt on their roster for the past seven seasons.
Drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Watt has proven to be a game-changer for the team. His presence on the field often translates into victories, with the Steelers boasting a strong record when he plays. In contrast, their performance suffers dramatically without him, as evidenced by their 1-10 record in games where he doesn’t play. Despite Watt’s outstanding contributions, the Steelers have struggled to contend for the Super Bowl in recent years. In fact, Watt has yet to win a playoff game, leading some media personalities to speculate about trading him while his value is high, potentially signaling a new rebuilding phase for Pittsburgh. On Friday, Jason McIntyre, filling in on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, proposed a bold idea: he believes the Steelers should consider putting Watt on the trading block.
According to McIntyre, this move could benefit the team in the long run. “If you want to turn things around in Pittsburgh and there is no end in sight, the way this team is built… here’s a radical idea, sometimes you need to get radical. I think you gotta put TJ Watt on the trading block.” First and foremost, the idea of trading Watt is not something the Steelers are considering. Watt is firmly entrenched as a Steeler for life, and the notion of him playing elsewhere is highly unlikely. However, the concept of trading him, while far-fetched, does spark some interesting discussion. Despite the improbability, McIntyre’s proposal holds a certain logic. With Mike Tomlin at the helm, the Steelers are perennially competitive, making a full rebuild difficult as they continually find themselves in playoff contention.
McIntyre suggests that now might be the moment to entertain trading Watt, seizing an opportunity while his value is high. Although it would be a risky and crazy move, it underscores the challenge of balancing competitiveness with the need for a strategic rebuild. “29 years old, gonna turn 30 soon and I know he’s the most popular Steeler. He makes so many incredible plays look at that interception, dropping back into coverage. TJ Watt can do it all, he is tremendous. So why the he** would you trade him, Jay? You are trading our best defensive player? Because it’s not a defensive league.”
The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Despite this, Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 17-year tenure as head coach. Recently, however, their playoff performances have been disappointing, with several blowout defeats. Notably, their 2023 loss to the Buffalo Bills came while Watt was sidelined due to injury. McIntyre argues that teams focused on defense, like the Steelers, have struggled to compete effectively, a trend he believes is evident in their recent seasons. “I gave you guys the numbers yesterday. Every playoff game that they have been to and gotten smashed in the last six years, they are giving up 30 or 40 points. So what’s the point of being built around defense?” Steelers Would Likely Get A Lot Back In TJ Watt Trade If the Steelers ever entertained the idea of trading Watt, McIntyre suggests they could potentially receive at least two first-round picks in return.
This prospect is certainly intriguing, especially given questions about how much longer Watt can maintain his elite level of play. Watt’s unique energy and effort on the field have undoubtedly taken a toll on his body, and he admitted this offseason that he’s beginning to feel his age. Despite this, many Steelers fans believe he still has several top-tier seasons ahead of him. McIntyre also mentioned the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions as potential suitors for Watt. While the notion of trading Watt is interesting, it’s likely to be dismissed by most Steelers fans. The team’s focus remains on not only securing a playoff win for Watt, but also achieving a Super Bowl victory.
The Bears are set to make a veteran addition along the edge via trade. Darrell Taylor is on his way from Seattle to Chicago, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The Seahawks will receive a 2025 sixth-round pick in return per the terms of the trade, which is now official. On Thursday, Seattle moved on from one veteran defender by dealing cornerback Michael Jackson to the Panthers. That trade netted seventh-round rookie linebacker Michael Barrett, and Friday’s move has likewise seen an experienced contributor sent elsewhere in the NFC with the future in mind.
Taylor has one year remaining on his contract. This deal will see the Bears take on his $3.12M base salary after the Seahawks already paid a $20K signing bonus. The 27-year-old missed his rookie campaign but has been a rotational presence off the edge for the past three years. Taylor has started 11 games since 2021, logging snap shares between 44% and 46% during that span. His best season came in 2022 when he totaled 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. His production took a step back last year (5.5 sacks), but Taylor still found himself in Seattle’s plans via the one-year agreement, which replaced an RFA tender. That said, the Seahawks were open to trading the former second-rounder in advance of the 2023 deadline. The season-ending injury suffered by Uchenna Nwosu changed that stance, and Taylor remained in place to close out the campaign. Moving forward, Nwosu, along with recent second-round selections Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, will be leaned on heavily along the edge by Seattle. From the Bears’ perspective, this move comes as little surprise. Montez Sweat is the anchor of the team’s edge rush, but adding a proven complementary option has long been mentioned as an offseason priority.
Talks with Yannick Ngakoue — who played on a one-year Bears pact in 2023 — have occurred. Chicago was also a finalist in the Matt Judon trade, offering a third-round pick for the four-time Pro Bowler. That matched the value of the Falcons’ offer, and Judon was reportedly given the choice between Atlanta and Chicago. After coming up short on those fronts, Taylor will head to the Windy City set up for at least a part-time role. Chicago also has the likes of DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson, Khalid Kareem and fifth-round rookie Austin Booker behind Sweat on the depth chart.
Taylor — who has 50 combined regular and postseason games and 21.5 sacks to his name — represents an intriguing addition to that group. Questions may remain about the long-term future of the Bears’ non-Sweat edge rushers, but for 2024, Taylor will be a contributor to their front seven. Seattle entered Friday with less than $9M in cap space, but Friday’s move will increase that total by more than $3M. With Taylor in the fold, Chicago’s available space will take a hit, though the team will still have over $18M in available funds.
Living legend and soon-to-be Fox NFL lead in-game analyst Tom Brady generated headlines when he recently said “the only reason why” teams play rookie quarterbacks selected with high draft picks is because “we’ve dumbed the game down, which has allowed them to play.” Hall of Famer Peyton Manning seemingly disagrees with Brady’s take and thinks teams are sometimes to blame for certain signal-callers failing to find success during and after rookie campaigns. ”
The problem is, if the rookie quarterbacks struggle early, what do they do? They take him out,” Manning said during an appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” as shared by Lauren Campbell of MassLive. “I go, ‘No, no, leave him in there. Let him learn the hard way.'” The Indianapolis Colts made Manning the first pick of the 1998 NFL Draft and later named him their Week 1 starter. As Michael David Smith noted for Pro Football Talk, Manning ultimately set a record for the most interceptions thrown by a rookie (28) in a single season that still exists today. Of course, things worked out quite well for “The Sheriff” in the end.
Manning became arguably the greatest regular-season quarterback in NFL history, earned two Super Bowl rings and retired as an all-time great. “The game is still hard,” Manning said. “NFL coaches, I think smartly, are doing the best job they can of adapting their offense to the quarterback that is playing. If that means putting in some plays that the player ran in college, I’m for it.”
New York Giants legend Eli Manning, Peyton’s younger brother, thinks that “nothing gets (a rookie quarterback) better prepared for playing football than playing football.” Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals agrees, but Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells reminded everybody this week that “the psychological makeup of the player” must be considered before a team throws a first-year pro “to the wolves.” Peyton Manning added that the days of NFL teams not running plays featured by college programs because doing so is “beneath us” are in the past. The Colts are one example of a club that studies college film to find ideas for its offense.
“The best quarterbacks that play well, they feel comfortable,” Peyton Manning continued. Ideally, the Manning brothers will welcome Brady to an upcoming edition of a “ManningCast” alternate “Monday Night Football” broadcast to continue this debate at some point during the 2024 season.